And They're Off!

 Track and field at the 2012 Olympics is officially underway! Several preliminary events have already happened this morning but what I'm really excited about are the Women's 10,000m today (3:25pm) and the Men's 10,000m tomorrow (3:15pm). Oh, and that little race--which one is it?

The Olympic Marathon Course

The Men's 20km Race Walk WOMEN'S MARATHON!!!! That's right--it's Sunday at an ungodly hour (for us Americans) so I'll be watching it on tape-delay when I wake up (I'm going to a friend's bachelor party Saturday or you better believe I would wake up early and watch it live). This should be an awesome race to watch.

The organizers have designed a brand new course, one that will maximize views of London's famous sites like Buckingham Palace, Parliament and the Tower of London. It won't be as fast as the London Marathon course, which is pretty flat, because this one includes several short steep uphills and downhills along with tons of turns (including 4 U-turns!). Nevertheless, with an amazing field we should still see some great times.

For the US, our best hope of a medal in this event lies with Shalane Flanagan who took bronze in the 2008 Olympic 10k. Kara Goucher could also surprise us with a podium finish, though I think it's more likely she'll be in the lower top-10. As I reported earlier in the week, Desi Davila has been having some serious issues so--assuming she makes it to the start--I don't think she'll be much of a contender. Perhaps the biggest threat is Kenya's Edna Kiplagat who took gold in Beijing. No matter what happens, it should be a great race.

Olympic Heartbreak, Marathon Style

Even though the Olympics officially got underway Friday with the opening ceremonies, the first track and field events don't begin until this Friday (August 3rd). Nevertheless, there's still been plenty of drama in the world of running, mainly in the women's marathon.

Over the weekend two stars purportedly dropped out of the race, Britain's Paula Radcliffe and our very own Desi Davila. While sources now report that Desi is still in, Paula's withdrawal has been confirmed. The final days before any marathon are obviously stressful--you put in month's of effort only to have it come down to one day, but in the Olympics the stakes are obviously much higher.

Unlike races that happen every year, the Olympic marathon happens only once every 4 years and even the world's best racers risk not getting in to their preferred event. I really hope Desi makes it to the start but at least she (theoretically) will have another shot at Olympic glory. Unfortunately, at 38, Paula Radcliffe's days of dominating the sport are over and her chance to dominate the podium in the city where she set her world record has been dashed.

If things are this exciting now, just wait until the actual events begin!